


Even If It's Only One Night

by Rheehemoth



Category: Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms, Fate/stay night (Anime 2006), Fate/stay night - All Media Types, Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works (Anime 2014)
Genre: Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Implied Sexual Content, Romance, Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-16
Updated: 2016-12-21
Packaged: 2018-08-31 07:34:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8569753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rheehemoth/pseuds/Rheehemoth
Summary: The next Holy Grail War is a month away and Lena's half brother Flynn wants to attempt the Ritual. However, he isn't strong enough to complete it and Lena does it instead. She summons Cú Chulainn, the Irish Heroic Spirit. What will happen when things heat up between them before the fighting begins? Cú Chulainn x Female OC - Lots of fluff





	1. First Night

**Chapter 1 - First Night**

It was exactly one month until the Holy Grail War started all over again. Lena was in her small, two bedroom house trying to talk to her idiotic half-brother, who just refused to listen. They had been debating about the Summoning Ritual for months now, and the argument had finally come to it’s climax. She was so sick of hearing him whine about he should be the one to be Master.

“Flynn, it’s not going to happen. You haven’t even been training as a mage for the last 5 years! How do you expect to perform the Ritual properly?” she hissed at him, completely over his protests.

“Sis, I’m serious. I want to do this.” Flynn was three years younger than her, and had given up his mage training when their father had died of cancer 5 years ago. They had been close and Flynn had stopped training out of grief. 

“No. You haven’t trained properly and most of your magic circuits will probably be dormant and unusable. Attempting the Ritual might even kill you. Just stop your whining. At this stage, I’m not going to even let you help me fight because you are pissing me off so much.” she growled at him when he went to stand up, and he quickly stopped moving. “Now, go home Flynn. It’s over.” 

“Ssiiiissss!” he began to whine again, and she lost her temper.

“Flynn! Shut the fuck up and go home!” she pointed at him and she growled angrily at him until he cowered away and finally headed for the door. 

She rolled her eyes at his form disappearing down her driveway, and sighed before she headed into the small basement that held the tools for her Summoning Ritual. The magic circle was drawn on the floor, and she was careful not to damage it as she got set up. Once she was ready, she stood in the middle of the circle and took a few breaths.

It took a few minutes before she was fully composed and ready to perform the ritual and she channelled her magic as best she could before beginning to speak the words to summon her Servant. As long as it was her that performed the Ritual, and not her brother, she was happy with whoever she got. The advantage to summoning them this early was that they could get to know each other, and learn each other's abilities before the fighting started. This would allow them to work as a team instead of expecting the Heroic Spirit to do all the fighting, she hoped. 

Once it was complete, she felt a large surge of mana run through her entire body, the sensation taking her by surprise briefly before it died down, feeling the exhaustion come over her. She stumbled slightly, and strong arms caught her before she fell over backwards. After a moment to catch her breath, she faintly realised that it must have been her Servant that caught her and turned her head to look over her shoulder at them. 

A young man with striking red eyes looked back at her, and they regarded one another blankly for a few seconds before he winked and smirked at her. Breaking her from her trance, she quickly stood up, not missing the way he kept his arms behind her until he was satisfied that she wasn’t going to fall again. She spun on her heel to look at him, and took a couple of steps back to continue her casual inspection of him. His hair was a nice shade of blue that matched his armour, and she could see that most of it was pulled into a low ponytail. He only looked to be a year or two older than her. She idly noticed that he was built very lean, but he wasn’t wiry. Strong muscle decorated his form, and she slowly look back up to his face, making eye contact with him after she shamelessly stared at him.

His smirk returned, much cockier this time and he let her look at him up and down, while he did the same to her. She was smaller than average height, possibly a bit over 5 feet tall, with long black hair pulled back into a braid that reached her waist. Her skin was pale, and her eyes were a strange shade of grey-blue. His eyes raked further down her body and his jaw dropped as he stared. Though she was short, she had some incredible curves and he took an extra moment to check them out. Her waist was small, which probably accentuated said curves, but he was pretty pleased to have a Master who looked like  _ this. _

Once his eyes found her face again, they watched each other for another brief moment before her soft voice broke the not entirely awkward silence between them.

“So...you are?” she spoke softly, but he heard her clearly. 

Instead of verbalising his response, he materialised his spear and spun it around a few times before standing it up and resting it’s sharp end gently on the floor. He grinned devilishly and he huffed when she smirked at his swagger. 

“Lancer?” she asked and he nodded his confirmation.

“And you are?” his husky voice washed over her, and she forced her cheeks not to flush from the way he was looking at her.

“Lena. Lena Redwyn. What is your actual name?” she tilted her head as she waited for him to respond.

“Cú Chulainn.” 

The man from the Irish tales came to her mind, and she knew couldn’t have possibly recognised him without knowing his name. She brushed it aside and smiled. She noticed his eyes momentarily dropped to her mouth, watching her expression change.

“And that is the mythical spear...Gae Bolg?” she vaguely recalled the name of the weapon from somewhere in her historical studies. His cheeky smirk was all the answer that she needed. 

She strolled over to him, and looked closer at the spear. Too interested in the weapon, she completely missed the way his eyes continued to roam over her figure, especially how her hips moved when she walked. After she felt the heat of his gaze, she looked up at him and saw the strange glint in his eyes. He gave her his best sexy smirk and spoke.

“See something you like, gorgeous?” 

Her eyes widened and her brows raised, and she blinked at him slowly until his words sunk in. She huffed and shook her head, but she smiled anyway at his flattery. The only male she regularly spoke to was Flynn, and he was so fucking stupid it wasn’t even funny. It was just frustrating for her. It was very strange for her to be complimented, let alone by an Irish Heroic Spirit. But she supposed that the Holy Grail War was weird in itself, so she didn’t bother looking into it too much, just assuming that he was a mischievous sort of person. Simultaneously, she didn’t want him gaining the upper hand right away. They had barely spoken a few sentences to each other.

“Maybe I do. Maybe I don’t.” she shrugged one shoulder with nonchalance.

Instead of replying, he just chuckled softly, a knowing smile on his face. She didn’t read into it any further, and instead started walking towards the stairs so she could head back upstairs. Once she realised he hadn’t moved, she looked at him sidelong.

“Coming?” 

He grunted his response and dematerialised his spear, following after her. Once they both entered the house, she shut the door behind her, being sure to lock it. She didn’t want Flynn getting in there. She headed to the kitchen and grabbed herself a drink, and fixed one for Lancer as well, unsure if he would actually drink it. She carried them into the lounge room and sat down, and he followed her lead and sat down across from her and accepted his drink. 

“Shall we talk strategy?” she crossed one leg over the other, and his red eyes followed the movement, though she knew he was listening to her.

“How long do we have until the fighting starts?” he sat back and shifted in his seat until he was comfortable.

“About a month.” 

She jumped at his response. “WHAT? A month?!” he sat forward and almost spilled his drink in the process.

“Yeah. A month.” his expression was a mix of disappointment and confusion and she elaborated. “There is certain circumstances which caused me to perform the Summoning as early as possible.” his brow just knit tighter together and she exhaled and continued further. “My half-brother was insisting that he perform the Ritual, but he hasn’t done any mage training in 5 years. All the materials including the Summoning Circle are all here, so I had to do it before him so he didn’t kill himself trying to attempt it...fucking idiot.” she hissed that last part mostly to herself, but he heard it anyway and snorted at her temper.

“Then if it’s a month away, let’s not worry. Just relax for a bit.” 

He skulled the last of his drink, and put the glass on the floor next to him and laid down fully, his long legs hanging over the edge of the lounge, one arm behind his head. Lena just stared at him, and exhaled slowly. He certainly was a strange guy. With a frown, his armour dematerialised and Lena’s eyes could not have been wider, but a Hawaiian shirt and black pants appeared and she took the breath she had been holding in. That could have gotten really weird, really fast. 

“Um, I have a room for you, if you would like to use it.” she stood up and gathered his glass, stacking it with her own. He cracked one eye open, still looking content.

“My own room?” his voice was still just as husky as earlier and she could only manage to blink and nod in response. He stood up faster than she expected and they were only standing inches away from each other and he smirked at her. “Lead the way, gorgeous.” 

After a moment of staring blankly, she shook her head almost imperceptibly to steel herself. She turned towards the small kitchen area and placed the glasses in the sink before she headed to the small hallway that lead to the two bedrooms and bathroom. He was on her right, one step behind and she couldn’t even hear his footfalls.

“This is the bathroom,” they continued past down the hall. “This is my bedroom, and this one is yours.” she pointed to the open doorway, which was her bedroom, and the closed one, which would be his, respectively. 

“You mean we aren’t bunking together? I’m disappointed.” he gave her his best pout and dropped her head to the side so he wouldn’t see her smile. He did see the movement of her shoulders, signalling that she was laughing. “Well, I’ll get settled in. Much appreciated, gorgeous.” 

“You are never going to stop calling me that, are you?” she asked him with an amused smirk and raised eyebrow.

“I could change it, if you like? Beautiful, sexy. Or I could even change it to temptress, seductress.” the look on his face said that he was very much enjoying this and wouldn’t stop unless he had to. 

“I think one is enough.” she held her hand up flat, in a stop gesture. He simply chuckled and nodded in understanding and left her be. 

It was already close to midnight, since the Ritual had taken some time to complete, and she was feeling exhausted. Exhausted from fighting with Flynn, as well as being lucky enough to successfully summon a Servant. She took a deep breath and headed to bathroom, intending to shower before she headed to bed for what she hoped would be a decent night's sleep. 

Once she was comfortable in her pyjamas, she turned all the lights off in the house and checked that the doors were locked. It wouldn’t make a difference anyway, she assumed that with Cú Chulainn here, no one that broke in would get out alive. It was just a habit. When her once-over was complete, she headed back to her room and called out into Lancer’s dark room.

“I’m going to bed. Goodnight.” she couldn’t make anything out in the room, since it was too dark, but she knew he was there.

“Mmm. Night.” he sounded like he was already sleeping himself and she smiled before she went into her own bedroom and shut the door behind her. 

As she got under the covers, she realised that she was going to fall asleep straight away. Sure enough, a few minutes after her head hit the pillow, her breathing evened out. Her last thought for the day was true, but it was only the quiet before the storm.

_ What a strange day it’s been... _


	2. Getting Comfortable

**Chapter 2 - Getting Comfortable**

It had been five days since Lena had completed the Summoning Ritual and had ended up with the Irish Heroic Spirit, Cú Chulainn. Lena had to admit that the whole experience so far had been very... _odd._ They had spent all their time together, just relaxing, since he wasn’t interested in doing any sort of formal training just yet. Most of the time, he laid around the house and dozed lightly.

When he wasn’t half-asleep, he was usually pestering her. But not in the way she had expected. He would stand directly behind her when she was cooking in the kitchen, effectively trapping her against the counter, and _accidentally_ touching her when he didn’t need to. Just walking past her was an opportunity for him. Only just earlier that morning, she had just put her hair up in a ponytail, and he walked past and ruffled her head, messing it all up. She had stood there stunned, instinctively made a fist, but knew there was no point. Instead, she had death glared him, pulled the hairband out, and bent over to fix the ponytail. When she stood back up, she noticed he was watching her with much more interest than she expected.

It had been a weird few days. But today, she had to pick up a package and would be out for an hour. She was currently getting dressed in her bedroom in something moderately tidy. Most of her clothes were simply bought for comfort, but today she actually needed to look somewhat like a normal person, and less like a lazy woman who barely bothered to dress herself in the morning. She chose a black pencil skirt, and a simple deep blue button up shirt. It was warm outside, so she didn’t bother with a jacket.

After she grabbed her handbag, she headed out of the bedroom and almost ran straight into Cú Chulainn, dropping her handbag in the process. Once he laid eyes on her, she heard his breath hitch in his throat and he swallowed thickly. She picked up her bag, and dusted it off before she looked up at him. His red eyes were a little wider than normal and his shoulders were tense.

“You okay?” she asked curiously, wondering what was going on in his head. She could never tell.

“Mmm.” he swallowed again and licked his lips before he spoke again. “You going out?” he tried to cover up his reaction to her appearance, and inwardly let go of the breath he was holding.

“Yeah, I’ll only be out for an hour or so.”

He nodded at first, but when he watched her walk away, he brought his pointer finger to his mouth and bit down on it. Cursing to himself, he locked up the back door, and followed her out the front door, ensuring that it would lock itself and fell into step next to her. If she left the house looking like that without him next to her, she was going to get stared at by every straight guy who walked past her. And he wasn’t going to tolerate that. She was _his_ Master.

“I’m coming with you.” his voice was low when he spoke, and it’s usual huskiness increased as he thought about her getting ogled walking down the street. Surely he shouldn’t be this protective, or was this normal?

“Okay.” she gave him a sweet smile and he almost melted into a puddle on the footpath.

_Shit...she’s definitely under my skin..._ he thought to himself as he strolled next to her with his hands in his pockets. They continued in silence until he attempted to stealthily lean back and watch the swing of her hips as she walked. She noticed his strange movements in her peripheral vision and turned to figure out what he was doing. He knew he was busted and grinned wickedly at her, no remorse whatsoever. His grin grew into repressed laughter when her jaw dropped as she realised what he had been looking at. Turning her head back to look in front of them, she punched him in the arm with her left hand, and he flinched, rubbing the afflicted area and making pained sounds.

“That didn’t hurt at all. Stop whining.” she scolded, but couldn’t completely hide the amused tone in her voice. Her cheeks were dappled lightly with pink as well, which he just found adorable.

“Yes it did.” he retorted in a childish voice and watched her roll her eyes at him, trying to hide her smile.

“Shoosh. We’re here.”

She headed into a small shop that held lots of random knick-knacks and nodded to the older gentleman behind the counter. He could sense that the man was a mage, but not a strong one. The man returned her nod and went out the back. After a minute, he returned with a box about a foot long and gestured for her to come over to him. Cú Chulainn waited in the doorway, leaning against it with his hands in his pockets. They were talking softly, but he couldn’t really make it out and didn’t feel like intruding anyway by purposely eavesdropping on their conversation.

When he heard the sound of a blade being pulled from a sheath, it drew his attention immediately and his eyes followed the sound’s origin which was Lena. Her eyes were wide and bright as she inspected the dagger she had in her hand. Carefully, but deftly, she swung it around in a few arcing motions, and he could tell that she was somewhat knowledgeable on how to use the weapon. In his brief analysis, he could see flaws in her technique, and made a mental note to teach her correctly while he had the chance.

There wasn’t many things that he found more attractive than a beautiful woman holding a sharp blade, and he watched her quietly with darkened eyes before she put the blade back in it’s sheath and placed it in the box. She passed some notes over the counter, and the man tried to give some of it back, but she held up her hand and shook her head in denial. He sighed in reply and thanked her, handing the box to her.

Smiling, she bid the shopkeeper goodbye and walked over to him where she noticed the intensity in his gaze. Standing up to his full height, he ran a hand through his hair.

“Ready to go?” his voice came out quieter than he intended it to, but she still heard him and nodded in response.

The walk home was rather uneventful and she changed into a loose tank top and shorts when they got back. He had spent the whole trip trying to put mental images of what he wanted to do to her out of his head, but to no avail. She was just too damn attractive. It was almost unfair, so he decided that it was her turn to be the one staring with her jaw dropped…

* * *

 

It was a rainy day, and Lena was putting a light breakfast together for herself when Cú Chulainn emerged from his room, in just a pair of boxers. His hair was out and fell over his shoulders and back, his muscles rippling as he stretched while he walked towards her. She averted her eyes swiftly, but she knew that he would have noticed already and cursed mentally. It was his fault anyway, for being so damn good looking. Normally she would only see guys who were that attractive on the internet and in magazines. But now there was a demigod, whose body itself was divine, in her kitchen.

He casually strolled over to her and stood behind her, looking over her shoulder at the eggs she was cooking for them. He made a pleased sound in his throat and gently put his arms around her waist, before he nuzzled her hair. Until now, he hadn't been so forward with physical contact, and she yelped in surprise, hearing his amused huff.

“W-what are you d-doing?” she mentally slapped herself for stuttering like a fool.

“Saying good morning to my girl.” he just continued his attention, and pulled her closer to him.

“Your girl?” she questioned, some of her confidence returning.

“Mmm. Aren't you my girl?”

It was very obvious from his tone that he was enjoying teasing her and she couldn't quash the part of her that said she was enjoying it too. She could feel how warm he was, and with his arms around her, she felt...safe. His soft breath moved through her hair and his contentedness was rubbing off on her, quite literally. With a slow exhale, she relaxed into him, resting the back of her head on his chest and heard his soft sound of bliss when she rested her arms on top of his. Lena wasn't sure how long they stayed that way, but his voice brought her back to reality.

“Food’s burning.” he said it so casually that she barely reacted until a moment later.

Quickly, she pulled away from their strange interlude and served up breakfast, taking it to the coffee table in the lounge room where she had already placed some cutlery and water for them both. They sat next to each other on the lounge and ate quietly, listening to the rain outside.

“Well, it's too wet to train today.” Cú Chulainn said between mouthfuls and Lena made a sound of agreement. “So, we should stay inside and cuddle on the couch all day.”

Almost choking on her food, Lena coughed before she replied. “We have housework to do.” His pout took her by surprise, and she couldn’t hold in her laughter. “Sorry, that’s what happens when there is two people in one house. More mess.”

Before he could continue to protest, she grabbed their dirty dishes, and zipped away as quick as possible. She kept looking over at him to make sure he wasn’t going to jump on her, since he was very good at sneaking up on her, and he slowly pulled himself off the couch then made his way over to her. Lena decided against giving him a choice of what he could do, and handed him a broom with her biggest smile.

“I thought you didn’t like the Servant-Master relationship dynamic.” he accepted the broom, but couldn’t resist the chance to poke fun.

“I don’t. But don’t forget that you are freeloading off me.” she quipped right back and he knew he had lost this one and got to work.

About two hours later, Lena finished tidying up her bedroom and came out into the hallway and glanced into the second bedroom to see Cú Chulainn inspecting his handiwork. She was momentarily distracted by his hand up his shirt, revealing his toned stomach as he scratched his chest casually. Pointedly, she moved her gaze to his face and spoke.

“All done?”

The young man gestured with outstretched arms that he was finished and smiled at her. She returned his smile, finding his expression rather adorable, though she couldn’t let him know that. It would go straight to his head, and his ego was already inflated enough regarding his confidence in talking to her as a member of the opposite sex.

“The rain stopped a while ago, if you want to go and do some training.” he suggested, now that they had nothing to do. He would be happy to lay around all day, but it was for her benefit, so it was the better choice.

She thought about it for a moment before she nodded. When she turned to go and grab her dagger from her bedroom, but his voice stopped her.

“How about we work on your hand-to-hand abilities?” he suggested openly. “That will help you defend yourself even after the War is over.”

“That’s true, but I might not even live through the War.” though her comment was said off-handedly, it still caused him to frown at her.

“Anyone who tries to kill you in the War will have to kill me first. And I have no intention of dying on you.” his husky voice was uncharacteristically serious, and she blinked a few times before nodding slowly in understanding.

He headed towards the back door, and she followed behind him quietly, thinking about what he had said. It was strange for him to be so serious, though she knew he was capable of it. Since the War hadn’t started yet, there wasn’t a need for them to be serious about fighting yet, so she hadn’t seen that side of him. She was taken aback by how genuine he sounded, and she believed every word he said. Her heart beat sped up a little at the memory of his determined expression and she stared at the ground until they reached the soft grass in her small backyard.

“Lena?” he called to her, wondering what she was spacing out for.

“Hmm?” she looked over to him and pulled herself from her thoughts.

Cú Chulainn’s brow knit together for a moment before he concentrated on the task at hand. He knew that he would really have to pull his punches and hold back to make sure he didn’t seriously hurt her. He knew that she had some martial arts training, as she had mentioned previously, but he didn’t know just how good she was yet.

“You ready?” he asked and when she took a deep breath and nodded, he took up his fighting stance and waited for her to make the first move.

Lena mirrored his stance, and analysed his guard as best she could. She knew that she wouldn’t win, regardless of how good a fighter she was, simply because he was a Heroic Spirit. His battle experience would be a hundred times more than her own as well. Experience could always turn the tide of a battle, even against someone with perfect technique. She would have to fight smart, and try to use her smaller stature to get around him, though she knew that he would be fast.

“I’ll start then.” since she wasn’t moving, he rushed at her with a closed fist and stopped inches short of her face, close enough to feel her relieved breath on his knuckles.

She smiled as he reset himself with a cocky grin on his face. So her speed wasn’t going to help her here. Using his size and momentum against him would be her only option. Another deep breath and she prepared herself for his onslaught. He rushed at her again, and she ducked under his punch, the very second he started moving, knowing that if she didn’t, she was probably going to wear this one, instead of him pulling up short. He was giving her an opportunity to counter him, and she knew that he had slowed down this time as well to even the playing field a little. Once she had successfully avoided his first attack, her fist clenched up as she sent it flying towards his solar plexus, hoping to try and wind him to slow him down further.

Giving her no hope, he grabbed her fist and she didn’t miss his grin as he held onto it. She tried to use a switch knee, trying to take him by surprise, and she almost landed the technique, but he leapt back out of the way. He had obviously seen it coming. Accepting that she wouldn’t land a good hit on him, because he was just too fast, instead she waited for him again.

He swung at her and she went straight under his punch, but she got up close to him. She pushed on his arm from underneath and used her leg to sweep his own leg and making him trip. Recovering almost immediately, he spun on his other leg to come at her again and copped her foot on his jaw. _Smart girl...she used her momentum and mine against me, and got me a good one._

A devilish glint in his eye, he went for her again, now getting a much better idea of her tactics. She was clever and could think on her feet well, and knew how to use that to her advantage. He was taking it very easy with her, but he also wanted to make sure that she was increasing her skill, so he decided to use a bit more physical strength and see how she dealt with it. The close quarters was much more fun than the knife training they had been doing.

When he came at her again, he tried to grapple her and get a hold of her shirt. Unfortunately, she didn't worry about ruining it and let the material rip and she pulled back, and broke off to the left. He almost got hold of her again, but she used her kicking ability again. Practically folding her body in half, she swung her right leg over and twisted so it landed in the junction of his neck and shoulder. It was enough to stop him from getting a good hold and he lost his footing for a split second. Again, he recovered almost immediately and was able to grab her arm, twisting it up behind her back so she couldn't move, lest she dislocate her shoulder. She hissed with discomfort and frustration, and Cú Chulainn laughed as he let her go, knowing she couldn't get out of his hold.

With a defeated groan, she took up a defensive stance again. He grinned at her tenacity and loved her inner strength. This time she came at him, legs flying towards his head, instead of dodging, he blocked her attacks and waited for the right opportunity to counter. She threw a right hook and he grabbed her just below the elbow and spun her around so his chest was against her back. He pinned her arm to her stomach and clutched her throat with his free hand. It wasn't enough to stop her breathing completely, but enough pressure to stop her from trying to fight him.

A rumble in his chest told her that he was laughing and she growled angrily. It caused him to laugh more and he tightened his grip a little. He brought his mouth to the shell of her ear, enjoying how she squirmed at the light contact.

“Got you again, gorgeous.” she could hear the smirk in his voice as she growled yet again and he finally loosened his grip.

It became more of a caress and his thumb trailed over her pulse point gently. He could feel her pulse race and felt her swallow underneath his palm. The rumble in his chest returned and he spoke again. His voice was low and deep, and it affected her in ways she never expected.

“How will you get out of this?”

With his grip on her throat loosened, she turned her head to look at him from the corner of her eye, and his smirk fell slightly as he noticed her clouded eyes. That was all she needed, just to distract him for a moment. He felt her muscles tense momentarily and knew that he couldn't stop her in time. An elbow slammed into his stomach and she spun away, laughing at him as he doubled over, coughing.

He raised his head to look at her and she gave his arrogant wink and smirk back at him. Shaking his head, he laughed and figured that he deserved that one. They continued, going back and forth for another hour before Lena practically collapsed with exhaustion. She groaned when it began to rain lightly, and Cú Chulainn laughed at her until she tried to get up to move inside.

Fortunately for her, he was nice enough to pick her up, one arm under her back and the other underneath her knees and carried her inside. He plopped her down on the couch and laughed at how much of a mess she was. Her hair was mussed and pulled half out of its braid from their grappling, her shirt was ripped and her face flushed. Carefully, he lowered himself down to sit on the floor with his back against the lounge. Cú Chulainn let his head loll backwards and it rested against Lena’s side.

Listening to the rain, they eventually fell into a light slumber..


	3. Affection

**Chapter 3 - Affection**

_Images flashed before her eyes as Lena dreamed of battles long since past. She saw hordes of men with swords and shields, and men on horseback. Their battle cries were deafening as they charged towards one another. She saw corpses surrounding her, piling haphazardly on top of one another. The strong metallic scent of blood filled her nostrils as she watched the carnage all around her..._

She sat up with a start, breathing heavily and she was aware of a presence in the room.

"Lena? You okay?" his husky voice sounded in the darkness and immediately she knew she was it was Cú Chulainn.

Her shaky breathing was all she could muster and she clawed out in the direction that his voice came from. His hand was there and she gave it a gentle pull and he sat down on the edge of her bed. Before she could let go, now that she knew where he was, he had taken a gentle hold of her much smaller hand and linked their fingers together.

"I felt your fear. Were you having a bad dream?" she felt better again after hearing him speak.

She nodded but realised he probably couldn't see it. "Yeah, bad dream." she said breathlessly.

He crawled over to the other side of the bed, and put his arm around her shoulders. He smelled like her shampoo and she shuffled closer to him, resting her head on his chest and placing a hand on his pectoral. After a few minutes, she had calmed down, but found she didn't want him to go now that she was okay. The young man's affections were getting more frequent, but she couldn't help but want more. She couldn't slow down her heart rate, but it wasn't because of the dream. Though it was ridiculous, she knew that if a normal, mortal man treated her like this she would be head over heels. Although he was a Heroic Spirit, she couldn't squash the butterflies in her stomach, but it was getting harder to deny that she _might_ just have feelings for him.

"It's okay. You're safe with me. If anyone tries to hurt you, they'll choke on my spear." his words, albeit violent, were still sweet in their meaning. She heard the faint anger in them at the thought of someone hurting her and if she wasn't so rattled, she would have smiled.

"Thank you." She whispered into his muscled chest and nuzzled closer.

"Come on, let's go back to sleep." he suggested and began to shuffle so that they were both laying down.

Their position didn't change much aside from that, and he rolled into her a little to bring her closer, placing his other arm over her waist. He was blissfully warm and she sighed contentedly as his thumb ran patterns on her hip. She could tell that he was smiling, even though it was dark, and her fingers gently began to trace the outlines of his musculature on his chest and stomach. He made a low rumbling sound in his chest, which she presumed meant that he didn't mind and continued. Once she began to get too low, his almost purring noises became warning sounds.

"If you get any further south, I can't be responsible for what happens afterwards." she gathered from his voice that her caresses were affecting him so she brought her hands back up to her chest and kept them there.

Instead of continuing her absent-minded touches, she rolled over to face her back to him. Little did she realise, but this was just as bad for him. Now he had to deal with her perfectly round buttocks up against him and he willed himself to try and sleep instead of ravish her in every which way he could. Mentally, he sighed and just tried to concentrate on how nice it felt to have her in his arms.

Lately, it had been getting more and more difficult to keep her out of his head. If she left the house for a while, he would be bored out of his mind because she wasn't there for him to talk to. When she was there, he just enjoyed watching her do what she usually did every day. Cooking, cleaning up, do a bit of physical and mage training. Since they had started doing training with weapons and just hand-to-hand, it had been harder again.

Their grappling sessions usually ended up with him struggling to keep his body from reacting to his thought process. If he didn't, he doubted that she would appreciate him trying to spar seriously with her while he was pitching a tent. Not to mention that if she even touched him he would probably just pounce on her and take her right there in the middle of the backyard. He had already been tempted to.

He judged by the sound of her breathing that she had already gone back to sleep and smiled into her hair and fell asleep himself…

* * *

Lena cracked her eyes open and saw a muscular chest in front of her. Before she allowed herself to freak out, she tried to recall what happened last night. Giving herself a quick mental one over, she realised that she wasn't hungover and therefore hadn't brought a random stranger home. After sifting through her tired mind, she let go of the breath she didn't realise she was holding in as she remembered Cú Chulainn coming in to check on her after feeling her fear. Occasionally, she would see various memories that weren't hers in her sleep, and figured out that they belonged to Cú Chulainn from when he was alive.

She carefully lifted off her leg that was tossed over his hips and stretched out fully. He groaned at the loss of her contact and began to wake up. Red eyes opened and blinked until they focused on her sleepy face. A smile that she couldn't quite analyse spread across his face and he pulled her close, nuzzling the junction between her neck and shoulder. It tickled her, and she giggled so adorably that he continued until she tried to push him away. Then he just held onto her tighter and kept going anyway. Once he finally released her, she smacked his arm playfully and he grinned at her.

Normally this would probably be weird for a man and woman who had only known each other for a few weeks to do, but they had somehow managed to bypass a lot of the typical nonsense that modern people went through. They didn't have anything to hide from each other, since they needed to be open to be able to fight side by side effectively. No need to pretend like they were someone else, or wear a mask to hide their true nature. Everything was on the table with them.

This seemed to make a big difference in how fast they got to know each other. Obviously they didn't know each other inside out, but to a decent level for their exposure time. It was surprising, but they hadn't fought yet, even though they lived in such close quarters with each other. Sure, they had disagreed on strategies and tactics, but not to the point where they couldn't just agree to disagree and move on.

He was normally so carefree and playful that she forgot that he was a brilliant and proud warrior sometimes. Especially when he was complaining about not wanting to help with the washing up, or something equally tedious. Summoning her Servant a month early made sense tactically wise, but it had made things a little more difficult than she had realised. She basically had a roommate, which she never had after her father died and she inherited this house. For the last 5 years, she had lived by herself, so it was weird to share her space.

His personality regarding the War was entirely different. She could feel his pride in himself and his ability and it made her proud too. He seemed incredibly brave, but she knew that he also had the tendency to be merciless to his enemies and would lose his temper easily. It also surprised her that he was happy to lay around most of the time, since they weren't fighting. When they had nothing to do, he was satisfied to lay around the house and relax the day away. In a way, she admired his ability to know how to appreciate the downtime, and to be serious when the time came. War aside, she would be sad when he had to leave. He was good company.

With a yawn, he sat up, leaning against the bedhead and ran a hand through his hair. He took a breath and kicked his legs over the side of the bed where he stretched his arms over his head and yawned again. Lena silently watched him with quiet adoration and scolded herself mentally for letting feelings into the mix. He just took her off guard, and it was wonderful for someone to be nice to her for a change.

She got up slowly and heard the TV switch on in the lounge room. When she went out, he was already sprawled out on the couch in nothing but his boxers. He grinned at her, and she shook her head at him getting out of bed just to lay back down out here.

Preparing to make breakfast, she got out plates, cutlery and got out a glass each for them. Somehow in her mechanical motion, she knocked a glass off the counter and it smashed on the floor next to her. Before she could register his presence, he was right behind her, checking that she was okay.

"Lena, are you alright?" his voice was raspy from lack of use and his red eyes held concern that made her stomach flip.

"I'm fine. Don't step on the glass, okay?" her soft voice made him smile.

He was a Heroic Spirit here to fight a Holy War, and she was telling him to be careful around broken glass. _How cute…_ he thought to himself as she grabbed a bowl from the cupboard next to her and began picking up the largest shards of broken glass, letting them collect in the bowl. When she made a hiss of pain he was right there again, ready to help her.

Blood was welling up on a small cut on her finger, and he grabbed her hand to inspect it. She allowed him to do so and waited for him to continue. His eyes found hers and she couldn't help but smile sweetly at him. Carefully, she pulled her hand out of his grip and insisted that she was fine. Once the bulk of the glass had been picked up, she went to get the vacuum, but Cú Chulainn beat her to it, staring at the contraption, unsure how to turn it on. She directed him through plugging it in and pointed out the switch and watched silently as he cleaned up the pieces they couldn't pick up or see.

A few minutes later, he switched it back off, and felt Lena's eyes on him. She was leaning against the counter with her fingers laced loosely together in front of her. His typical roguish smirk appeared and she realised her mistake. Now he would tease her about staring at him.

"What? Did you only just realise how sexy I am?" he was ready to watch her blush, but she held his gaze evenly and her response messed with his head more than he would ever admit.

Slowly, she stalked towards him with a thoughtful expression, like she was considering her answer to his question. Once she was directly in front of him, she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and tilted her head to the side, continuing the suspense. She could feel the heat of his gaze intensifying as she prolonged the torture and chuckled at him inwardly. Her pointer finger began drawing small circles on his chest and she watched the rise and fall of his chest speed up.

Abruptly, she stopped, stood up and straight and looked up at him with her most innocent expression. "You? Sexy?...Hmm, don't think so."

He couldn't hold back his scoff, but he knew that she was just trying to play with him, and decided that this was a battle he could most certainly win. His plan of attack began with him closing the gap between them, and just as he hoped she retreated until her back hit the wall. _Perfect._ She was exactly where he wanted her, and brought his right arm up and rested his forearm on the wall above her head. This brought them only an inch or two from each other and he lowered his head until he was right next to her ear.

"I _know_ you like what you see. Why not just admit it?" he whispered softly, and she could feel his breath fanning through her hair.

When he pulled back, she turned her head away so he couldn't see her face, and he used his free hand to lift her head up, with his fingers underneath her chin. His red eyes searched her grey-blue ones and he realised in the back of his mind that maybe his plan might have backfired and he was caught in the moment too. His thumb brushed across her bottom lip, that was just as soft as it looked, and he licked his own lips absentmindedly, ready to close the gap between them.

_Knock knock!_

They had both been too caught up to realise that a mage was at the front door. Lena recognised that it was Flynn, and groaned in frustration, stomping her feet as she went to the door. Before she opened it, she turned back to Cú Chulainn, seeing him leaning against wall in the spot where she had been moments earlier, his arms crossed over his chest. His eyes were closed, and she could tell from his clenched jaw that he was annoyed too.

"It's Flynn. Could you materialise your armour for me, please?" she asked softly, and he did it without moving a muscle, then she swung the door open. "What, Flynn?! I'm busy!" she hissed venom at him, and the Heroic Spirit snorted in amusement, though she didn't notice.

"You haven't returned my calls, sis. I wasn't sure if you actually ended up completing the Ritual or not, and I thought that if you hadn't…." he trailed off as his eyes fell on the strange man leaning against her wall in blue armour. He had even got his spear as well, and it was tucked in his crossed arms, showing off it's full length. "Is that...is that your Servant, sis?"

"Yes, Flynn. Now piss off. Like I said, I'm busy." she went to close the door but he pushed his way through and she growled at him, but he just ignored her, much too interested in the Heroic Spirit.

"Who is he, Lena? Is he even any good?" Flynn blurted out without a thought to how the two people in the room would react.

Cú Chulainn opened one red eye and glared him down and made him step back a little, almost running into Lena in the process. The woman reached out and smacked him upside the head and the Irish man wished for a moment that he could capture her angry face and show her later to embarrass her.

"He is Lancer, and he's not just a Servant, you inconsiderate little shit. He is stronger than you could even comprehend. Now piss off because before I ask him to run you through." she went to grab Flynn's shirt but he was still looking at Cú Chulainn.

"I'd listen to the lady, little boy. She even scares me." he spoke in the lowest and most dangerous voice he could summon right now, and the kids eyes went wide for a brief second.

Once Lena had gotten a hold of him, she pushed him out the front door and told him not to come back until the War was over. She slammed the door in his face and locked it as well, just to make sure he couldn't come back in. After she finished, she took a deep breath in, and exhaled heavily. Their moment from before was completely ruined, so she hadn't planned on bothering to try and get it back. Besides, they probably shouldn't mess up the status quo anyway, regardless of how little she cared for the Master and Servant titles.

"I never thought it would turn me on to see a woman stand up for me." he kept his armour on, and watched her spin to face him on her heel.

She shrugged, since she wasn't quite sure how to respond to his sentence. "I've always hated the Master and Servant thing. I sort of get it, but I don't like how it belittles the Heroic Spirit. You guys do most of the fighting, but it's not with blind obedience like the Servant title would suggest. If that was the case, command seals would be almost pointless because you wouldn't have your own thoughts or morals about the situations. It just frustrates me."

He watched her quietly for another few seconds and then pushed off the wall. "Well, I best get to practicing. I can't let you down now by letting my skills get rusty."

Before she could reply, he headed out to the back yard and began to swing his mythical weapon around with incredible skill, grace and precision. She sat on the lounge and watched him the entire time, enraptured with how strong and fluid he was. She hadn't seen a spearman in real life before, so it was interesting watching his attack patterns and it gave her a chance to analyse his abilities. Obviously, he was incredibly strong, but of course she wouldn't know until the War started how well he stacked up to the other competitors.

When he came back in about 2 and a half hours later, satisfied that his abilities hadn't waned, his armour and spear disappeared and he headed for the bathroom. Lena heard the shower turn on and just let her eyes rest for a moment.

As she dozed, she saw images of battlefields and heard the sounds of weapons clashing...


	4. Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena is upset by the predicament that she is in, and Cú Chulainn realises the depths of his feelings...

**Chapter 4 - Memories**

"I'm hungry."

Cú Chulainn complained as he stood next to Lena as she practiced her magic via meditation. She ignored him for another minute until he sat down crossed legged in front of her, mimicking her. Leaning forward, he put his hands on her thighs, trying to break her concentration. It failed and she simply breathed quietly. With a small pout, he decided to mess with her.

He began to make small circles with his thumbs on her thighs, and the fabric of her shorts moved with his hands. He was rather enjoying teasing her, but she hadn't reacted so far. He couldn't help the cheeky smile that appeared on his face, as he listened to her breathing speed up. Suddenly, he felt a surge of electricity flow through him, like he had been struck by lightning. His muscles clenched and he was painfully stuck in the same position until the feeling ceased about five seconds later. Once he could open his eyes, he noticed Lena's grey-blue orbs were glaring at him. The corner of her mouth was upturned in a shadow of smile, and he laughed after he regained himself knowing that she had used magic to stop him.

"I'm hungry, Lena." he spun and put his head down in her lap, and he was rewarded with a flick to the forehead, making him laugh again.

"Feed yourself, lazy shit." she hissed at him with feigned anger in her voice.

"There isn't anything to eat though." he smiled up at her, trying his best to get on her good side. He knew that she had been struggling to resist him lately, and had been exploiting it every chance he got.

"You don't even need to eat! I give you plenty of mana!" he just continued to stare up at her, smiling innocently until she rolled her eyes and groaned at him. "Fine. Let's go then."

They got up and walked to the supermarket that was conveniently located about 10 minutes walk away. Cú Chulainn spent the entire time they were there pestering her about what foods were good and the weird pictures they had on the packaging. Once they had what they needed, they went to the check out and Lena started loading the groceries on the conveyor. The young man serving them asked them how their day was but he was barely taking his eyes off Lena.

The Irish Heroic Spirit got very defensive and begun to stand very close to Lena and try to demonstrate that she was taken. Unfortunately for the young man, he didn't notice the display, up until Cú Chulainn put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to him, pressing his nose into her hair. Lena swatted at him lightly, being embarrassed by his open affections, but the blush that coloured her cheeks told him that she did enjoy it.

After they left, he carried every single bag home, not letting her take any. It was all for him to get her attention and they talked and laughed the whole way home. When they arrived home, Cú Chulainn was bounding around the house with too much energy so after something light to eat they went out to train. Hand to hand combat had been their go to, since she was decently proficient with her dagger now that he had helped her improve her stance and get rid of the unnecessary movement in her technique. Her overall abilities had increased by at least three fold, since she listened well and was naturally mindful of how her body moved. It made her a quick study.

Their first few rounds, he would wipe the floor with her. But after that, she would analyse his attacks better and he would purposely repeat some to see if she countered it differently. She would still get soundly beaten every single time, but each time, she would also last a bit longer against him. He was toning down his strength and speed completely at the start, but now he could use a little, just to keep pushing her harder and further past her limits. No matter how good she was though, he would always beat her.

Roughly an hour later, Lena was in too much pain, and too tired to keep going so they called it a day. She headed straight for the bathroom and had a quick shower, washing away all the sweat and dirt from their training session. The hot water soothed her sore muscles and she knew she would be sporting some colourful bruises tomorrow. After she was finished, she laid out some fresh clothes and was adjusting her bra strap when she heard Cú Chulainn's voice behind her.

"You should just wear that around the house. Or nothing at all." she was just in her underwear and his eyes roamed over her scantily clad form appreciatively.

She was about to yell at him, but he had brought her a large glass of cold water, and realised that he must have just walked in at the wrong time. Instead, she settled for sighing at his timing and downing the entire glass in one go. Casually as she could, she handed him the empty glass and shooed him away with a charming smile. He stared for another minute, until she narrowed her eyes at him and he laughed as he walked away, shutting her door behind him.

It was obvious that he was legitimately attracted to her, and not just flirting for the sake of flirting. Regarding these sorts of matters, she was fairly dense, having minimal experience, but it wasn't too hard to figure out considering his affections. If it was just a physical thing, then it definitely wasn't something she would allow to happen. Actually, she couldn't allow it to happen anyway, no matter the circumstances. Cú Chulainn would have to leave after the Holy Grail War was finished, that was if they survived it.

A huge wave of sorrow came over her. In this few weeks, she had gotten so used to his company. He was always so carefree and laidback, and it made her relax for a change. His cheeky smiles and flirtations never failed to make her laugh and smile, and their conversations about the modern world were always interesting. Once the fighting started, it would distract them both from each other a little, but she exhaled slowly realising that once the War was in full swing, it only meant that they had less time together.

Although it was too late for her to cease her feelings for him, she couldn't allow herself to indulge, since it would just lead to heartbreak. In a way, she already knew that she wouldn't find someone who would match up to him in her lifetime. Maybe it was just because even though he was a flirt, he never did anything that would pressure or force her into doing something she didn't want to do. Even when they were up against the wall the other day, she knew that if she had pushed him away, he would respect her wishes and let it go. He understood honour, and respect and gave as much as she gave him. It was a give and take relationship. The status quo was even between them, and her feelings shouldn't get in the way of that. Their being on good terms was important for the upcoming battle.

Lena sighed, knowing that they would have to fight soon regardless of if they liked or hated each other. It was hard to think about, since she had simply enjoyed her time with the Irish Heroic Spirit far too much already. If she died in this fight though, at least she had some good memories to take to her grave, something different to the sad life she had led. Memories of him smiling happily her, talking and laughing together, sitting quietly and listening to the rain or when he had comforted her after a bad dream, holding her close as they slept. Though she didn't realise it, but her expression had fallen into a sad one, and her chest ached slightly as she reflected on everything.

For once, she hadn't felt so alone.

In her family, she was the child that arose from her father's infidelity and was shunned and ostracised even when she was too young to understand why. Flynn, her half-brother, only paid attention to her to piss her off and now to whinge at her about being a Master though he wasn't anywhere near strong enough for it. Her step-mother hadn't been quiet about how much she hated her, and wished that she was dead. The evil woman wasted no time kicking her out once her father had died years ago and she had struggled to get by ever since. Her loneliness was just a normality in her life now, but since Cú Chulainn had been around, she had felt alive for the first time in many years.

It would all end when the War did.

Once she remembered that she needed to get dressed, she pulled on a singlet and a pair of tights and headed out to the lounge room. Cú Chulainn was asleep on the lounge, his Hawaiian shirt unbuttoned and laying at his sides, and his feet were kicked up on the armrest. He had an arm behind his head, and one draped over his stomach, breathing softly as he dozed. A wistful smile appeared on her face and she walked over to pick up an empty glass that he had left on the floor next to the lounge.

As she leant over to reach for the glass, his eyes snapped open and his hand came out to grab her arm. She flinched in surprise and her eyes went wide as she was yanked down on the lounge with him. A yelp escaped her and she heard him suppress a chuckle at her frightened reaction.

"That hurt." she scowled at him and went to get back up.

"You aren't going anywhere, gorgeous." he held onto her with an arm over her waist, and his other arm slid underneath her neck and pulled her closer to him.

"Why is this necessary?" Lena grumbled at him. This was not making her dilemma any easier, nor saying goodbye to him in an unknown period of time any less difficult.

"Because you looked like you needed a rest."

"And you're more than happy to oblige, by scaring the living shit of out me when I think you are asleep."

"...yep."

A groan escaped her and she could feel his shoulders twitch with laughter. He really didn't understand why she was protesting. If she told him, she was concerned that the precious status quo would fall out of balance. For now, she decided she would just let him be affectionate, and then when the battle started she would ask that to be the end of it. It would be too difficult for them to fight if they were constantly trying to protect each other, and it would be obvious to other Servants and Masters that they were far too close.

He seemed to notice her inner turmoil and brushed some hair off her face gently, and watched her quietly as she stared at the small empty space between them, a frown on her face. Lena didn't react to his touch and his expression fell, failing to notice the sad look in his eye when she didn't return his embrace. Before she could pick up on his change in demeanour, he shut his eyes and willed himself to sleep.

After some time, they both fell asleep, lost in their thoughts of one another…

* * *

Lena woke up to a crash coming from her kitchen, and immediately leapt off the lounge, ready to take down whoever had invaded her house. Her eyes focused after a brief moment to see blue hair and the collar of a Hawaiian shirt over the top of the kitchen counter. Her racing heart began to slow down as Cú Chulainn stood up with an innocently apologetic smile on his face. She let out the breath she was holding, since there was no danger. Just a clumsy man/Heroic Spirit in her kitchen. How perfectly normal.

He had dropped something, which made the crashing noise and she walked over to the other side of the counter to see that he had dropped a container holding something that smelt like salt water. She blinked at him slowly as he picked up back up and put it on the counter and opened it to reveal what looked like a freshly caught fish. Her slow blinking continued as she wondered how on earth he caught it, or whether he had bought it himself. Her gaze fell on him and he answered her silent question.

"I caught a fish for dinner." he smiled with such triumph and pride that she couldn't help but smile at him. It was times like these when she remembered that he was just a young man, besides all the warrior stuff.

"Uhh...yes, you did." Lena spoke evenly, still a bit confused about how this happened.

"You seemed down before and I wanted to cheer you up and see you smile again. I can't have my girl upset."

He puffed his chest out and his smile grew to some sort of completely adorable expression that didn't have a name and melted her heart. With a heavy exhale, she shook her head at herself. Just when she thought she might be able to leave her feelings for him behind or at least ignore them, he went and did something like this. She wondered for a second if he did it because he shared her feelings, but didn't allow herself to dwell on it, realising suddenly that she hadn't cooked fish before.

"I don't know how to prepare or cook fish." her hand held her chin in thought and she was about to turn and look it up on her computer but his voice stopped her.

"I do." he was still grinning happily and she stared at him for a moment.

"You mean that you can cook?" Lena asked with a surprised tone.

"Of course I can." he laughed at her question but his smile faltered when she glared at him.

"So, I've been cooking for you for weeks, and you didn't think to mention that you were perfectly capable of cooking for yourself?" her tone was low and promised retribution and his shoulders slumped as he realised his mistake.

"Sorry?" he said with a smile that hoped she would forgive him.

She put her hand over her face and sighed heavily at his failed attempt to defend himself. With a growl, she turned away from him and ignored his attempts to dissuade her from walking away. Though it really wasn't a big issue, she found herself frustrated with whatever it was between them. Closing her bedroom door behind her, she laid on her bed and tried to keep her tears in, but they refused to listen. Silently, she allowed herself to get rid of her pent up emotion and let the waterworks stay for as long as they felt like it. His gesture was so sweet but it just hurt her even more. She couldn't express how she felt, lest it wreck the good rapport that they have. So she would suffer in silence like she always had for her whole life.

It was almost an hour later when her tears slowed to a stop and she sniffled a few times before she could smell freshly cooked fish coming from the kitchen. If she wasn't so dehydrated, she was certain that she would start crying again just from the smell of his cooking. Not because he annoyed her by not cooking more often, but because it was nice of him to go to the effort to try and cheer her up. Unfortunately, the gesture had backfired and just made her feel worse, but for reasons that he wasn't aware of.

A light knock on her door pulled her from her thoughts forcefully and his soft voice sounded from the other side with a hint of caution that she didn't miss.

"Dinner is ready."

Lena heard his footsteps move away from the door, and she guessed that he made them audible for her sake. Normally he was dead silent, obviously from loads of practice to the point of it being second nature. She took a few deep and controlled breaths, attempting to steel her nerves as best she could before she faced him. Her head ached from her crying, and she knew that she needed to drink some water so it would stop and it wouldn't stop if she hid in her room all afternoon and night. She may as well eat too since it would only make her feel worse if she didn't.

Forcing herself to rise from her bed, she scuffed her feet along the floor and walked into the kitchen to find a plate with a hearty looking dinner on it. If she wasn't so upset, she would have been overjoyed at the sight. Picking it up, she grabbed cutlery and headed to the coffee table where Cú Chulainn was stuffing his face. She knew that he was watching her carefully and that his sharp gaze wouldn't miss her bloodshot eyes, red nose and dried tear tracks. He kept silent, as she sat down on the other lounge, so she wouldn't have to sit next to him and began to eat.

"Lena-" his voice broke the stillness in the air between them but her hand raised flat in a 'stop' gesture made him stop speaking immediately. If he asked her if she was okay, she would lose it all over again. She just needed some time to get past it and she would uphold her end of the Master-Servant bargain.

She didn't raise her head to look at him, but just shook her head in denial of his question and continued staring at her plate. After a moment, her hand went back to her knife and she didn't see how he exhaled a shaky breath, and he stared at the floor, lost in his own thoughts, food in front of him forgotten.

He had seen how upset she looked, and how bloodshot her eyes were. He knew that she had been crying, but had no idea why. Even though he wasn't sure, he doubted it was to do with him telling her that he could actually cook. She was normally a strong-willed woman and doubted that something like that would be the thing to break her. All he wanted to do was to hold onto to her and whisper that everything would be alright. But he gauged from her earlier reaction that she wouldn't allow it, and wouldn't tell him what was wrong either.

So he let her walk back to her room after she put her plate in the kitchen, and stayed on the lounge for hours, agonising about what was going through her head.

For some reason, Cú Chulainn knew that she wasn't asleep, even after night fell. He sat with his head in his hands on the lounge until he couldn't take it any more. Resolved to get to the bottom of it, he power-walked to her bedroom door and flung it open, finding her lying under the covers and reading a book.

They spoke at the same time.

"What the fuck is wrong, Lena?" his voice came out much angrier than he wanted it to.

"The fuck are you doing?" she yelled at him at the same volume that her book slammed shut.

Silence...They both willed themselves not to give in, not to speak first, lest their true thoughts be revealed to the other.

Cú Chulainn relented first. "What's wrong? You've been upset all day and I want to know why. Is it something I did?" he was exasperated and it was evident from his tone and knitted brow.

"I don't want to discuss it, okay? I'll be fine." before she could go back to her book, he spoke again.

"Why not? You should be able to tell me everything. How can we work together if we don't communicate?" he replied, trying to use reason and logic with her. He knew that she respected him and tried using that to get through to her.

"Look, I'll be fine. I promise. I just need some time." her anger wasn't going to help, so instead she spoke as calmly as she could and tried to smile to reassure him. His concern was touching, and she tried to ignore the heartbeat that sped up as she watched him worry about her.

He stood quietly, still in the doorway and sighed heavily, then moved to sit on the edge of the bed.

"You won't talk to me about it?" he brushed the backs of his fingers against her cheek, but his hand dropped as she turned her head away from the gesture. She missed how his expression fell as she stared into the corner of her bedroom.

"I'll be fine."

Though he knew she wasn't okay right now, he accepted her answer despite his heart telling him not to. He gave her a single nod and stood up, leaving her to her book and closing the door behind him. The young man sat in his own room, on the floor with his back against the bed, looking up at the ceiling.

How was he supposed to tell her that it was horrible for him to see her like this? He missed her bright smile and happy voice. It had only been today that she had been upset for, but he didn't like it nonetheless. Since she was normally so strong, and was always more than willing to tell the problem to 'Kindly fuck off' as he had heard her say. He guessed that something eventually had to get through the cracks, and now that it had she was struggling to cope with it. He wished that she would tell him what was wrong so he could make it go away.

But what if he was the problem? He couldn't exactly up and leave with the war starting in a week. He needed to protect her, and lay down his life for her if he needed to. Whatever the situation, he wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice himself for her. Since he couldn't or wouldn't leave her, he would stay and do the best he could to cheer her up, make her laugh and smile again.

A strange ache was present in his chest and it took him a moment to identify the feeling.

He was in love with her...


	5. Water

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which things heat up, and feelings are revealed...

**Chapter 5 - Water**

Lena was rinsing shampoo out of her hair when she heard the bathroom door open. She tried to see who it was, though it was only her and Cú Chulainn in the house anyway. Once she opened her eyes, shampoo stung them immediately so she snapped them shut from the pain and swore loudly.

"Cú Chulainn, is that you? Ow..." she rubbed at her eyes, and they still stung horribly.

"Mmm." came his calm response. The glass shower doors were frosted, but he could still see her naked silhouette, and found himself stopped dead in his tracks as he stared. Her heart slowed when she heard his voice, but she was still confused.

"What are you doing then?" she hissed at him and swore again from the pain in her eyes.

"You were taking too long."

The sound of a zipper was almost deafening as she heard clothes fall to a heap on the ground, and she desperately rubbed at her eyes, willing them to stop stinging so she could open them and see what the hell was happening in her bathroom.

She could barely open them by the time the shower door opened and revealed Cú Chulainn's naked, albeit blurry, but naked form. It felt like she had no air in her lungs to use for the purpose of screaming, so she just tried to cover herself the best she could, while he gently used his fingers to lift up her chin and look at her with concern.

"Are you okay? Your eyes are bloodshot. You haven't been crying, have you?" his hand cupped her face, as she was covering herself with her arms, but she was surprised at the care in his eyes.

"Just shampoo in my eyes, I'm fine." she dismissed his concern, but the reality of the situation hit her again and she slapped his hand out of the way. "What the fuck are you doing in here?!" she screeched at him, loud enough for him to lean his head back and his eyes to go wide.

"I told you, you were taking too long." he gently moved her aside and stepped underneath the stream of water, as Lena stood to the side, scowling at him with hellfire in her eyes that still stung.

Fortunately for him, she was distracted by his lean muscle, that rippled as he ran his hands through his hair, that had been taken out of its bonds and fell freely over his back. She knew that he was cut and had seen him shirtless plenty of times before, but _damn_. Her eyes went further south, and she noticed his toned buttocks and her eyes almost fell out of her head. He had long, muscular legs, and her gaze made it's way back up his body, just as he turned to face her, and ended up staring straight at his private area. That, she had _not_ seen before.

Covering herself forgotten in the moment, her hands came to hide her reddened face. Her blush went all the way to her ears, and she could hear him begin to chuckle. Her brow knit together as she glared at him, trying to get him to leave her alone. He wasn't the least bit affected, and instead he just winked at her, and gave her that devilishly sexy smirk that she had come to enjoy seeing on his ridiculously handsome face. She shook her head to dispel her subconscious thoughts about what she should be doing with the man before her, but they decided to hang around since he was staying too.

"I'm good at using that spear too, in case you were wondering."

Her mouth fell open and her eyes were wider than saucers at his offhanded comment, and he grinned as she went red again. Usually his comments weren't that... _sexual_. Instead of continuing to protest, which she knew he would ignore, she accepted her fate and his stubbornness along with it. There was no way she could physically force him out, he was much too strong for her, so she would tolerate it. She had seen him shirtless plenty of times, since he found it rather enjoyable to watch her breath hitch in her throat as he stalked into a room, pants hanging low on his hips. But this was entirely different. It would only be more awkward if she fought and argued the matter. May as well get it over with.

"Stop hogging the water, would you?" her voice came out weaker than she wanted, and she practically barged him out of the road and continued rinsing the shampoo from her hair.

Once she was finished, she wiped the water off her face and opened her eyes to see him staring at her unabashedly, practically salivating. She whacked him with an open hand on his shoulder and he just grinned unapologetically in return as he rubbed the area she hit him. She picked up the shampoo bottle and threw it at his head; he caught it with ease, of course. No matter the situation, she couldn't fault his reflexes honed from years of training to be a warrior.

"Wash your hair." she scolded as she ran conditioner through her long, black locks. He was looking at her strangely, and she sighed before rising to his curiousness. "What?"

"I've never seen you with your hair out before. I didn't realise how long it was." his voice was uncharacteristically soft, though it's usually huskiness remained. "It's nice. This must be what I can smell all the time." he gestured to the shampoo that was foaming up on his head.

"It's my favourite." she shrugged and smiled faintly at his compliment. He always caught her off guard with his random endearing comments.

"It's why you always smell so good." he moved to step under the water, and she moved aside for him, and luckily his eyes were closed and he didn't see the small happy smile that she couldn't fight away.

"Why do you always say things like that?" she blurted out before she realised she had said it aloud. She had experienced enough heartache over him in the last few days and thought that she was finally getting through the worst of it, but he wasn't making it easier right now. Depending on his answer, it might be a good time to ask him to knock it off, for the sake of her sanity.

"Can I not compliment you?" he casually answered her question with one of his own, making her frown at him.

"There is a difference between complimenting and flirting." she pointed out quietly as she combed her fingers through her wet hair, smoothing the conditioner through the ends.

He opened his eyes and looked straight at her before he responded. "Does it matter?"

"Well, yes. It does." his expression did not change, and she continued after a short sigh. "I believe that flirting is something that you do with someone you are physically interested in. However, you can compliment your friends or family. The things you say to me aren't something that you would say platonically."

"I said that your hair smells nice…" he raised an eyebrow at her, calmly waiting to see how she would retort.

"Amongst other things...such as your earlier 'spear' comment. Blatant flirting." she shrugged her shoulders and huffed like it was obvious.

"Okay, you got me there." he scratched the back of his head awkwardly and tried to figure out what to say next while Lena waited silently. "Look, I know that I'm a flirt, but is it so bad? You've laughed and smiled at me before. Why is it so different now?"

"It's not bad or different. If it's just a physical thing, fine. Just tell me. But all of this is just becoming really confusing and I don't know what any of it means." she was beginning to get flustered, her calm facade failing with every word he said. If this continued, she was just going to end up spilling her guts and telling him what was really in her head.

He tilted his head down to look her in the eye, as one of his hands came to rest on his hip and the other continued scratching the back of his head. He huffed softly and began to laugh, as if to himself, for a few seconds before he found the right words and the confidence to give voice to them.

"It's not just a physical thing...I, uh….I'm pretty sure I'm in love with you." Even he couldn't help a slight colour coming to his cheeks, but Lena didn't notice. She was too shocked about the implication to his words.

Surely, all this time….he wasn't serious….No way. She thought that he was just a flirtatious and cheeky sort of guy with a protective streak, not that he was saying all those things because he actually had proper feelings for her. That wasn't possible. He was just attracted to her, so he couldn't possibly...could he truly _love_ her? She was an abrasive, and impatient person with too many flaws to count. How could anyone love her? Even her own family hated her.

"You really didn't know?" his voice caught her attention after her mind starting running a marathon.

"I did not…" she trailed off, unsure of what else to say at this point.

"Piss off. You can't be that dense." He scoffed faintly at her.

"But you've been flirting with me for weeks now. Since I met you, in fact. How do I know you're serious? You could treat all women like this for all I know." She asked incredulously.

"I don't treat everyone like I treat you. You're... _different_." he trailed off as well, not knowing how to express himself properly. Usually when he was attracted to a woman, it didn't take long before they were between the sheets, and he was much better at expressing himself in bed, rather than with words. This being in love thing was another matter entirely.

"I thought you just had a flirtatious personality and were physically attracted to me. I didn't think you had serious feelings for me." Lena just stood and stared at him, still wide eyed.

"You didn't think I was serious? Do you not see me as a decent man? Do I not have feelings? You aren't just a notch in my belt, Lena." Now he was getting angry. Did she really not think that he was capable of feeling something real for her?

"No, it's not that at all. I just didn't think that you would have feelings for-"

"Well, fuck. Whatever then. I know when I'm not wanted." he pushed past her and stepped out of the shower. She saw his silhouetted form through the frosted glass, dry himself in less than ten seconds and walk out with only his towel wrapped around his hips.

She would have called out to him, if she had actually not been in complete shock over all this. He had been flirting with her for the whole time he had been around. Cheeky comments, blatantly perving on her whenever he got the chance, not to mention winking at her, and the sexy smirks he gave her all the time. Now that she thought about it, the previously mentioned occurrences hadn't disappeared, but in the last little while they had changed a little. His cheeky comments were sometimes, soft, kind words, his perving on her was more or less just idle watching, and the sexy smirks were still there, but sometimes there was pleasant smiles too. His worrying about her when she was upset about him as well.

_You can't be that dense..._ his words repeated in her head. Apparently, yes she could be that dense. Maybe it was just because she didn't consider the possibility of them being romantically involved due to the nature of their relationship and ignored the signs. She assumed that she was the only one stupid enough to have feelings for someone who was from a different time, a different world and wouldn't have even existed without the War. From what he had said, he felt the same about her.

Washing the conditioner out of her hair, she squeezed out any excess water and turned off the shower, stepping out to see his clothes still left in a heap on the floor. She sighed again, feeling bad. She really hoped she hadn't seriously hurt his feelings by doubting him. It wasn't even him that she was doubting, more or less her worth as someone to be loved. The War hadn't even started. How would they fight properly if he hated her? That would end in failure. She dried herself and wrapped a towel around her torso and another around her head, holding in her wet hair.

She began heading towards her bedroom, but once she arrived at the door, she turned down the hall and barged through his door to find him sitting on the edge of his bed. He glanced at her, but then back down at the floor. His elbows were resting on his thighs, and his fingers were laced together with his chin resting on top. It was rare to see him quiet, and it tugged at her heartstrings. The last thing she wanted was to upset him. Now she knew why he was so worried about her the other day.

Some of her earlier confidence had fizzled, but she tried her best to continue. She stood in front of him, but he wouldn't raise his head. Instead she knelt down, and forced him to make eye contact with her. He raised an eyebrow ever so slightly, asking his silent question.

"I'm sorry if I upset you...It's not that I don't think of you as a decent man, or that I don't think you have your own feelings. It's just that...I never expected for you to actually have them for _me._ I didn't realise that it was something that could happen in our situation. So...I'm...I'm sorry." she continued to kneel until it began to hurt too much, and she exhaled in a soft, inaudible sigh.

When she stood up and went to turn away, he took a hold of her wrist to stop her. She looked at him over her shoulder, and he was chewing on his lip, his expression suggesting that he wasn't sure what to do. She was sure that he could hear her heart hammering in her chest. With a light tug, she was seated in his lap, only their towels covering them. He had an arm around her waist to support her, and the other was still holding her wrist, but he let it go and moved it to the back of her head, his fingers tangling in her wet hair as the towel fell away.

Tentatively, he moved closer and brushed his lips against hers. When she didn't push him away or protest, he kissed her fully. Her eyes closed and she melted into him, enjoyed his warmth and affection as she brought her arms around his neck. The kiss continued and depended with a slow burn. There was a small voice in her head that was telling her that they should stop and it wasn't until then that she realised the gravity of their situation.

She gently pushed back and looked at his face, his brow was knit together in confusion. "Wait...we shouldn't be doing this." He held her gaze and waited for her to explain further without letting his temper get in the way. "At the end of the War, that is if we haven't been defeated or killed by that point, you have to leave. This...this wouldn't last. I have been agonising for the last few days about my feelings for you...That's why I was upset the other day. About how it would all come to an end and how I was so scared about being heartbroken when you have to leave. I can't bear the thought of being alone again. I've been alone for most of my life, and it _hurts._ "

Quietly, he moved his eyes to the section of her towel that was slowly coming undone at the side. He took a breath, and attempted to muster as much profoundness as he could. He really wasn't that great with words. There was a few things he was good at, fighting, fucking and fishing. Talking was not high up in his skill set.

"Isn't that why we should?" she narrowed her eyes at him, and slowly raised one perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "We know it's not going to last, but shouldn't we still take the chance? Even if we could only be together for one night...Wouldn't it be worth it?"

She blinked at him, searching for answers in his face, and she came up with nothing. No retort, nothing. Maybe he was right. Who cares if it was only for a few weeks until the War ended or they got beaten? It wasn't like she was drowning in good, honest and strong men who wanted to be with her. Especially not ones that looked like Cú Chulainn. Even more especially ones that looked like he did, _and_ constantly made her feel like she was an attractive and strong woman. No wonder she broke up with the only boyfriend she had ever had in her life. He had only lasted a month because she was bored with him already. Wasn't this was it was supposed to be like? Heart racing and stomach flipping?

In baited silence, Cú Chulainn waited for her to mull over the options, not letting her go or loosening his grip the entire time. If she decided that she didn't want to continue, he would leave it be reluctantly, and no doubt take every opportunity to watch her when she wouldn't notice and probably think about this moment when he was alone. Her expression changed multiple times and he stayed quiet so he didn't interrupt her train of thought.

After what seemed like an eternity, her eyes focused back on him and she gave him a tiny smile in affirmation. He smiled back and picked up where they left off. As he pulled her closer, she realised that this position wasn't going to work and sat back. She flicked a leg up, and it passed straight by his face so she straddled him. He gave her his trademark sexy smirk, put his hands on her hips and pulled her closer. Her hands tangled in his still wet hair.

She could tell straightaway that he was _worked up_ , so to speak, and could feel him against the back of her thigh. Her bottom lip came between her teeth in a nervous gesture, and he sensed her inexperience immediately. As gently as he could, he kissed her neck and gradually began increasing the intensity of his affections . Heat began to rise within them both, and he nipped her throat, and she gasped, her fingers tightening their grip on his hair, and he pulled away from her abruptly. He rested his forehead on her shoulder and waited a moment before he spoke.

"We should stop, while I still can." he said breathlessly, not wanting to rush her into this, especially if it was her first time.

"Why do we have to stop?" she asked softly, and he knew the undertones to her question. Lifting his head up, he made eye contact with her and found no sign of uncertainty in her orbs.

"A-are you sure?"

She huffed softly and shook her head before she spoke. "You were right before. I should try to live life in the moment a little more, instead of planning for things that may not come to pass. Even if it is only for a while, we should try to be happy while we can."

His happy grin melted her heart and for the next few hours, they lost themselves in bliss and in each other and fell asleep with their limbs tangled together...


	6. Victory

**Chapter 6 - Victory**

Lena felt very warm when she woke up. Once she felt like she was finally bothered enough to open her eyes, the blue-grey orbs focused on the man who she was half laying on top of. She saw his muscular torso, and his lightly stubbled jawline before she finally lifted her head up, looking at his peaceful, sleeping face. Her mind drifted back to last night, slowly recalling what happened.

_One of his hands was fisted in her hair, and the other was grasping her hip, almost hard enough to bruise. His mouth was on her neck, and she knew that words were not possible nor were they necessary at this point. She had never felt anything like this before. Every touch he made was a slow burn, and she struggled to keep her breath as his hands roamed across her body._

Her mouth was dry, and she knew that she needed to get up and use the toilet as well. Carefully, she dragged herself out of bed and grabbed the large t-shirt that was on the floor and put it on, although she wasn't sure which of them it belonged to. She tiptoed to the bathroom but heard a familiar voice coming from the bedroom moments later.

"Lena?" He was awake.

"Yeah?" she replied casually whilst sitting on the toilet, doing her business.

"Where are you? Come back to bed!"

"I'm in the fucking toilet. Gimme a minute, would you?" she rolled her eyes at him, but she smiled nonetheless. She felt a little sore from last night, and was being careful as she cleaned up.

Once she was done, she headed back to his bedroom, and leant against the doorframe, watching him quietly. He rolled over and grinned at her before he tossed the blankets off himself, and in all his naked glory, rushed to pick her up and threw her onto the bed. She bounced on the mattress and they laughed together before he climbed on top of her. He kissed her, and due to th distraction he didn't notice that she was preparing her counterattack. Her foot hooked behind his, and in one movement, she grabbed his arm, pushed her hips up and to one side and rolled them both over, with her ending up on top. He looked up at her with shock evident on his face and she laughed.

"I didn't know you could do that."

"I have been paying attention in our grappling sessions you know." Her blank look made him chuckle, knowing that he was just too busy messing around rather than actually working hard during their training.

"Have you been hiding your true skill level from me?" He raised an eyebrow in question.

"Of course I have. I very much enjoy having you wipe the floor with me every damn time we spar." her blank look did not change as he chuckled.

Cú Chulainn shifted his weight and rolled them back, making Lena groan frustratedly. He shuffled to rest his head on Lena's chest, supported by her breasts. She stared down at him and he looked up at her, feeling her gaze on him. He was trying not to laugh at her expression which was the equivalent of 'Excuse me?'.

"Are you quite right there?"

"Definitely." just to emphasise his point, he used his pointer finger to poke her boob and chuckled as it jiggled. "It's like rippling water." he felt her glare at him, and it just made him laugh even more.

"You just wait. I'll get you back for this." she whispered evilly, knowing she would get payback.

"Why does that sound like an invitation?" A mischievous glint appeared in his eye and he moved swiftly to pin her arms down so she could fight him off.

"What are you doing? Seriously…" she squirmed to try and get out of his grip.

She squealed loudly as he nudged her shirt up with his face and began nipping and kissing her stomach. When she winced faintly, he immediately stopped and let her arms go. He hoped that he hadn't hurt her.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly, all the cheekiness gone from his voice.

"Yeah...I'm just..." she ran a hand through her hair, feeling a little awkward, "I'm a bit...sore." she whispered the last word, and nodded towards the junction between her legs. Since she still only had the oversized shirt on, but he instantly understood her meaning.

He sat up quickly and his expression had completely changed from his roguish smirk to a strangely concerned expression, also being aware of his own state of undress too. Momentarily, he chewed his lip before he opened his mouth to speak, only to close it again, as if he changed his mind. With a heavy exhale, he finally spoke.

"Was I...was I too rough?" his tone was cautious, and he sounded genuinely worried if he had hurt her last night.

"No, no. Not at all. It's normal." she smiled to try and reassure him, but his brow stayed just as tightly furrowed. Sitting up, she placed a hand on his leg and smiled again. "I'm fine, I promise. It's perfectly normal."

The Irishman nodded after a moment, accepting her words. He had tried his best to be careful, especially because his status as a Heroic Spirit meant that he was incredibly strong, and he had been worried he would accidentally hurt her. It took all the self-control he had not to drive into her with everything he had, but he had focused on her enjoying herself and had kept himself in check. The only marks on her were the few love bites on her neck and shoulders, and he was sure that he would have some too.

"So what should we do today?" she asked him happily, trying to change the subject. He raised his head to make eye contact with her, and immediately she knew exactly what he was thinking. "You'll need to give me some time before round 2, okay?" Lena said with a laugh, enjoying his enthusiasm. It made her feel good to know that he hadn't had enough of her yet.

He pouted and dropped his shoulders in reply, and she just laughed more. He resisted the urge to laugh but failed and shook his head as they both cracked up. After a minute, Cú Chulainn looked at her idly, and just let the situation sink in. Lena Redwyn had summoned him as a Heroic Spirit to fight in the Holy Grail War, and somewhere along the way, somehow, he had ended up falling for the hilariously short-tempered woman. Though she would never admit it, or hit him if he said it aloud, she was incredibly kind underneath her tough exterior. It seemed that no one had gotten to know her well enough to see it or been kind to her in the first place to earn her kindness in return.

That realisation made him sad for her. Once he disappeared after the war was over, she really would be alone again. She seemed pre-emptively heartbroken when she had told him about it earlier, and he wondered briefly if there was something he could do. Her sweet voice broke him from his reverie and she began waving a hand in front of his face.

"Earth to Cú Chulainn."

"Sorry, what?" he asked, trying to figure out if she had been speaking whilst he was spaced out.

"I said, are you hungry?"

"Uh, yeah. I could eat." he smiled, trying to be casual. Lena was not convinced, but didn't question him, and simply got up and headed out of his bedroom.

Getting up off the bed, he put some underwear on and strolled out to the kitchen, and found Lena wasn't there, but she appeared only a few seconds after he finished his thought. He gave her a hand making breakfast, but she was a bit of a control freak anyway and didn't let him do much.

Once it was ready, they sat at the breakfast bar and ate in comfortable silence…

* * *

_The day before the War_

Lena was currently rousing on Cú Chulainn for making a mess on the sheets that she was currently hanging out to dry, while he half-helped, and spent the other half of the time cacking himself laughing and purposely getting in her way. They had made the mess during a rather vigorous round of fornication last night, and they had been too tired to change the sheets, and slept in his room instead.

She growled at him as he grabbed her waist, and she tried in vain to get out of his grip, attempting to keep up her charade of being angry at his antics. After a few more seconds, she lost her patience and grabbed his arm, twisting it up behind his back, using his own height and leverage against him. It clearly didn't bother him and he just continued laughing at her. Frustrated at losing the battle, she let him go and pushed him away.

After they finished their boring task, they did some physical training, and Lena got the chance to test some of her offensive and defensive magic against him. It had been their main focus in their last few sessions, so she would know what she was capable of against other Servants. What combos would work, and what didn't flow properly. They were able to work together with minimal verbal communication, which was exactly what they needed. Seamless teamwork was the best way to ensure that they won their fights.

Since they got along so well, and understood each other, it made working together much easier. The last several days since their feelings had been revealed had strengthened their bond further. They had been talking more about their morals, and beliefs and what they wanted out of life, and so on. They had done plenty of _physical_ bonding as well, taking the opportunity while they could, before the fighting started.

Although they both were trying to relax as much as possible, even in the back of their minds, they were expecting the worst result from this war and were making the most of their time together. It was basically a subconscious decision since they hadn't talked about their feelings toward each other since they confessed. Maybe it was to try and prevent themselves from getting too hurt should the War end badly. They hadn't really expected their relationship to evolve this way, but it was a welcome development.

Lena had grown up in a household where everyone wished she was gone, and even her own step-mother quite frequently told her that she wished she would die, but only when her father wasn't around. Her father travelled a lot for work, so he wasn't there to protect her very often. When Cú Chulainn arrived, and treated her like he truly valued her existence, it was probably the main reason that she fell for him. He made her feel like she was important and attractive, and that she was _needed_. Not even her own family, the few friends she had in school, or anyone made her feel like that before.

Fortunately for some people, they never needed to worry about people valuing them and caring about them. Lena had always envied those sort of people, and the main thing that she wanted out of life, is for someone, anyone, to truly care for her and want her around. Someone who made her feel important, valued and loved. Now that she had finally found someone who did care, it was a feeling that she couldn't describe. She hadn't expected to find anyone, and had already accepted that she would be alone for the rest of her life, even at her young age. It wasn't something she was pleased about, but after continuously dealing with the same cycle of treatment over and over again, she had learned to expect it. Someone who broke that cycle was bound to be easily noticed by her. Of course it just so happened to be an Irish Heroic Spirit who would have to leave once they were defeated or the War ended. It was heart break waiting to happen, but she was trying to live in the moment.

After they had trained for a few hours, they went inside to eat. While they organised their lunch, the happy couple constantly mucked around, and play-wrestled each other. Once they almost smashed a shelf full of plates and bowls, they stopped their activities abruptly. Cú Chulainn suddenly grabbed a hold of her, and refused to let her go, simply hanging onto her her using his height and weight to stop her from getting away. She stopped struggling and smiled, just enjoying his warmth and affection. She hadn't quite gotten used to being touched so often, but it was nice for a change. Eventually, he let her go and they took their food to the coffee table in the living room, taking a seat across from each other. As they were eating, Cú Chulainn noticed that Lena wanted to say something, but didn't seem to have the right words. He could see the cogs turning behind her eyes as she worked out how to say it.

"Do you...do you think we have a chance at winning the War?" she asked quietly, but continued staring at her lunch.

"Of course. We have to win." his usual cockiness appeared, and it always did when they talked about fighting in the War.

She smirked faintly, "I'm being serious."

"So am I." he grinned at her from the other side of the table.

"I don't really have a super important wish that I want granted, so why exactly do we have to win?" she raised an eyebrow quizzically, not entirely sure why he was so certain of their victory before they had even had one fight.

"Because…" he rubbed his chin thoughtfully and she waited silently for his answer. "Because if we win...I might be able to stay." He shrugged faintly, still unsure of how she would react.

Blinking slowly, Lena took a second to realise the weight of his words. He saw her hesitation and tried not to get upset, but he felt his stomach drop and his heart stop at the sight of her uncertainty. Before he could fully react, she smiled, and his heart didn't start it's rhythm until she spoke.

"You actually _want_ to stay here...with _me_?" her smile was barely there, but it tugged at his heartstrings. He realised that she wasn't uncertain about being with him, but was surprised that he actually wanted to stay with her.

"Only if you don't mind, of course." he watched her expression intensely.

"You're sure?"

Her smile was still strained, but he could tell that just the thought of having someone who genuinely wanted to be around her was enough to make her happy. When he nodded to reassure her, she chewed her bottom lip and nodded slowly, and he could see the corners of her mouth turned upwards in a smile. She looked adorable, and he laughed happily. He was glad that she wanted him to stay, and his relief immediately eased the ache in his chest. The young man knew that she hadn't had a good run with people in her life, and it would probably take her a while to get used to someone being around who was genuinely nice.

"But doesn't that mean that you would live as a mortal, meaning that you would age and die?"

"Yeah, but I'm okay with that. Isn't that half the fun of living? And if I'm with you, it can't be that bad."

He laughed happily, and she couldn't help but laugh with him. For the first time in her life, she actually felt like she wouldn't be alone forever, like she would be happy for once. The void that she hadn't realised was there until now, seemed like it was slowly filling up. It was a good feeling, and she was unsure as to how she was supposed to express her feelings, or whether it was even appropriate to do so.

Instead, she just gave Cú Chulainn a long look, and smiled at him happily but her eyes held determination. He sensed her change in demeanour and smiled with her.

Seems like they had a War to win...


End file.
